Rep. Clarice Navarro, R-Pueblo West, Rep. Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo, and Sen. George Rivera, R-Pueblo, were asked about the topic Saturday at the year’s second legislative breakfast held by the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce in the Fortino Ballroom at the Pueblo Convention Center.

The three civic leaders told the audience of about 100 people that they have had several conversations with staff, faculty and administrators at CSU-Pueblo about the challenges facing the university.

“We are trying to work together to come up with the best plan,” Navarro said.

“Right now the state Legislature has not found a solution to fix that and I don’t know that is an issue that we can take on because it is a budget issue for the school.”

Navarro said she doesn’t want to see people lose their jobs.

“We just need to encourage more students to come to Colorado to school and to CSU-P,” she said.

CSU System Chancellor Michael Martin and CSU-Pueblo President Lesley Di Mare have said a significant drop in enrollment has been a major issue leading to the school’s $3.3 million deficit.

Rivera said there is not a real good solution.

“This drop in enrollment came some time back by allowing students to continue to go to school there without paying their tuition,” Rivera said.

“Had this been addressed six, seven, eight years ago, or whatever, it wouldn’t be the crisis that we see right now.”

Rivera said it’s not a matter of pointing fingers and looking back, but looking to the future of the school and moving forward.

Garcia said the Colorado House will do it’s best to remind the CSU System that it would receive no Capital Development Committee funds as a result of drying up funds that could be allocated into CSU-Pueblo.

He was referencing a question from the audience that asked about the Colorado State University System’s new Denver South initiative.

“The footprint for CSU-P is important and if you allow the campus to dwindle down at the time where we are trying to bring rail and tourism, what does that mean for our community?” Garcia asked.

“How can we be on one side growing it and on the other side shrinking it?”

CSU-Pueblo Professor of Sociology Tim McGettigan, who attended the breakfast, did not like what he heard.

“It would seem that the local legislators are on board with the chancellor’s (Martin) plan to destroy CSU-Pueblo,” he said.